Among the prestigious students was teammate UFC Champion Matt Serra. To date, Jonathan Burke has been training and teaching Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, mixed martial arts, self-defense, rape awareness, close quarter, and hand-to-hand combat for over 20 years.

While an instructor at The Gracie Academy in Los Angeles, Jon was offered several notable opportunities. He has trained former star of Married…with Children, Ed O’Neill in private classes. Jon was specifically requested to travel to Brazil and work with Guns N Roses and their bodyguards. He has trained and designed classes with the band Sepultura, Johnathan was honored to be a member of Royce Gracie’s fight team in Japan's fighting organization known as “PRIDE.” Jon has been able to work with many different Federal law enforcement agencies as well as local law enforcement. He designed training regimens for U.S Troops that were being deployed overseas; including traveling to South Korea.

After leaving California, Jon was contracted to the United States Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. There, Jon taught members of the U.S. Special Forces and 82nd airborne non-compliant assailant and cuffing techniques, weapons retention, and upright and ground self-defense techniques. He also taught rape prevention and street awareness classes for serving females as well as female spouses. Jon’s expertise and his student-friendly teaching methodologies have been implemented by Navy S.E.A.L.s, U.S. Special Forces, U.S. Army Rangers and other highly skilled and qualified members of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as U.S. federal and state law enforcement agencies.